14 Favourite Foreign Birds. 



legs are a bright orange-red ; from either side of the 

 mouth a black band, embracing the eye, projects 

 backwards to the middle of the head, which is orna- 

 mented with a crest of long, narrow feathers, which 

 the bird has the power of raising up, but which it 

 usually carries lying flat. The whole plumage is of 

 a soft, silky texture its general colour is sky-blue in 

 some specimens and sea-green in others ; the wings 

 are chestnut colour with white spots, and the tail is 

 similarly marked. It is a gorgeous-looking creature, 

 and a great ornament to an aviary. 



It is chiefly found in Nepaul and the Himalayas, 

 where it is sufficiently abundant and very frequently 

 domesticated. In confinement it may be fed as a 

 Jackdaw, giving more animal food, especially small 

 birds, which it plucks, feather by feather, before eating. 

 A large cage is necessary on account of the delicacy 

 of its feathers, and it should never be put in a dark 

 place, as light is indispensable for the preservation 

 of its beautiful colours, which quickly fade away and 

 become dull and dingy amid gloomy surroundings. 



THE WANDERING PIE, Dendrocitta vagabunda, is 

 another member of this family that is well deserving 

 of the attention of amateurs, but space will not admit 

 of a detailed description. The same remarks will also 

 apply to the CHINESE BLUE PlE, Urocissa sinensis ; 

 THE CHINESE BLUE MAGPIE, Cyanopolius cyanus ; 

 THE SPANISH BLUE MAGPIE, Cyanopolius cooki ; THE 

 BLUE-BEARDED JAY, Cyanocorax cyanopogon, and THE 

 PlLEATED JAY, Cyanocorax pileatus, all of which are 

 handsome and lively birds, and not difficult to preserve 

 in confinement. 



